The European Parliament is refusing to release 10 million ecu of Union funds needed to cover the running costs of 360 EU advisory committees over the next three months.

If the stalemate is not broken soon, the committees – which play a vital role in the day-to-day implementation of EU legislation – will be unable to meet unless member states agree to provide the missing funding.

On the surface, the dispute centres on an arcane argument between MEPs and EU governments over hundreds of committees few have heard of. But Euro MPs insist that fundamental issues of openness and democracy are at stake.

The Parliament is demanding that national officials and experts sitting on these influential bodies should reveal any interests which might conflict with their duties, and say meetings of the committees should normally be open to the public.